The Engagement Necklace
by Hawkeye116
Summary: What begins as an escape from an oppressive homeland evolves into a fight between life and death as Kana tries to realize and make happen her dreams of freedom. Chapter 8 of 8 up, Home. COMPLETE, BABY! [PakuKana, PakuYogota, a little IrohKana]
1. Escape

A/N: This is a story about Katara's grandmother, Kana, and how she left the Northern Tribe. It continues on; not sure if this is going to be a short one or a long, drawn out story. Well enjoy.

Disclaimer: Nick owns Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

The necklace was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever laid eyes upon. There was a clear blue stone with the Water Nation symbol on it; it was attached to a blue ribbon. It was a sign of the most pure love, the greatest bond a human being could have with another: it was an engagement necklace, and Kana despised it with all her heart. 

"Oh, Kana," sighed a pretty girl about Kana's age, "it's so wonderful! And to a very talented Waterbender, too. I envy you so much, Kana!" The girl sighed once again, a delighted and admiration for romance sort of sigh, as if she was savoring her friend's love life because of the lack of her own.

Kana snorted. "You envy me, Yogota?" She shook her head in distress. "There can be nothing worse than this." Kana frowned and stared hatefully out the window towards a man that only she could see from here, that only she disliked so much.

"What!" exclaimed the one called Yogota, "What, Kana! It is wonderful. You are engaged! Be happy, my friend. You don't get proposed to every day, you know."

Kana looked away. She observed some of the other Waterbender-Healer women as they scurried about the lobby through doorways to other rooms, tending hurt young ones and ill-stricken elderly. Women could only heal with Waterbending. They could never be actual Waterbenders. This upset Kana so much that she had given up Bending two years ago, when she had turned fourteen. Yogota had been surprised, but eventually forgot the significance of it.

"Yogota," Kana stated softly, "if I do not come here to the Healers' Structure, then what will become of me? I will just be there to cook and clean and bear him sons. That is no life for me."

"Kana!" Yogota exclaimed again, "Don't speak like that. You are very lucky to be getting married. Meanwhile I am living on the streets, barely managing to live. My father has cast me out because he found no husband for me and saw no use in me. Kana, you should be grateful. You don't want to end up alone."

A tear slid down Kana's cheek. "Yogota, I am sorry for bringing my troubles upon you when yours are so much greater than mine."

Yogota gasped, bracing Kana as the girl's knees gave way. "It's okay, my friend! Oh, Kana, are you alright? Will someone help me with Kana?" shouted out Yogota. A few Waterbender-Healers rushed over to Yogota and the fallen Kana.

"What's happened to her?" one asked.

"She's not herself lately. I think it's from the shock of her engagement," explained Yogota. She motioned to the newly carved necklace resting in Kana's hand, glimmering in the sunlight shining in from the windows.

"Ah, yes, happens all the time. Well, get her some help! There's a free cot in the Oceania Room, you two," ordered the head Waterbender-Healer to the two others with her. The two took Kana by the arms and dragged her into the next room. Something slipped out of Kana's fingers, but it went unnoticed by the Waterbender-Healers.

Yogota approached the fallen object. It was Kana's engagement necklace from Paku.

She picked up the trinket and traced the carved Water Nation symbol on the front of the blue stone with her thumb. Feeling something carved in the other side, she turned it over in her palm and read what was carved there:

_To the beautiful Waterbender,_

_The love of my life,_

_The brightest, most fiery star in the skies._

Yogota raised an eyebrow. Why had Paku called Kana a Waterbender? Kana had given up Waterbending a long time ago. _Then why did he call her a Waterbender?_

"Yogota!" screeched the old Waterbender-Healer in charge, "Come help us!"

Yogota sighed and tucked the necklace into her belt. "Coming, Iyaka!" she bellowed as a reply. She walked into the Oceania Room, where she was surprised to find several wounded warriors and male Waterbenders on cots.

"Iyaka, what has happened?" asked Yogota, horrified.

"Fire Nation ships have been seen in the Waters; they sent many scouts ahead and there was a skirmish between some of our fishermen and the evil Fire soldiers. But do not worry yourself about it, young one, just heal the men, and quickly!"

"I will, Iyaka," Yogota responded, rushing to a cot with a limp warrior on it. Yogota turned around. Next to the cot was another cot, this one with Kana lying on it.

"Kana," she whispered, "if you will not love Paku, at least remember me when you leave." Quickly, she pressed the necklace in Kana's hand, and then turned to tend to the Waterbender who had been hurt in battle.

Kana's eyes opened ever so slightly; she grasped her fingers tightly around the charm resting in her palm, finding a new appreciation of the trinket. She drew strength from it, love of a close one.

It was not the love of a lover, but the love of a friend who could be trusted to keep her secret.

* * *

When Kana woke again, it was dark in the room. A trainee Healer attended an ailing warrior on the other side of the room; all the rest was quiet. Moonlight shone through the windows, casting odd patterns on the stone floor. Warriors and Waterbenders around her on different cots breathed heavily, and one muttered something about a prince in his sleep. 

Sitting up, she opened her fist and revealed a beautiful engagement necklace—her own engagement necklace to Paku. Vaguely she wondered if he'd found out that she'd fainted. She guessed not, for surely her fiancé would have come to visit her by now. Not that she knew if he had come or not.

She looked at the glinting stone, the charm on her engagement necklace. No. That was not what the necklace was. It was a mark of friendship. It was a mark of trust.

_Yogota, my friend_, thought Kana, _may the gods bless you for your kind doing._

Quietly, Kana slipped onto the floor, glancing at the trainee Healer. The girl was crouched over a warrior, sitting on a stool, hair shadowing her face. Kana bit her lip in apprehension, waiting for any sign of movement.

The trainee Healer leaned forward quite suddenly, and Kana took a sharp intake of breath. The Healer had collapsed on the edge of a cot. A snore escaped from her body.

Silently, Kana marveled at her luck. It appeared that the gods were on her side.

* * *

She found an unused canoe with a paddle next to it near the Healers' Structure. Grunting, Kana shoved with all her might. The canoe slid into the water, hardly making a sound. Kana wiped some sweat from her forehead, grinning. There had hardly been a splash when the canoe had gone into the channel. 

Kana braced herself with the paddle and stepped into the canoe. She sat, and pulled the paddle into its proper position. Dipping the paddle into the water, Kana grinned in triumph as the canoe began to glide through the water.

Buildings flecked on either side of her as she made her way through the channels that made the streets of the city, passing under bridges and past blocks of beautiful Water Nation architecture. It was all so blue and gray, such sameness in the coloring of the buildings, and yet Kana admired each one, reveling at the ingenuity of the ancient Water Tribe peoples who had first built the city after retreating from the southernmost islands of the North Fire Nation Ocean.

Legend had it that a Firebender prince had been long ago seeking out a wife from one of the more remote Eastern Fire Nation Islands, but had been blown off course and instead had found the Water Nation Islands. The prince had sailed into a Water Nation harbor and demanded to see the princess of the city. At first, the Waterbender men had been hesitant to lead him to their princess, but had finally agreed when the prince had swayed their opinions through clever manipulation.

The Firebender prince met the princess and requested that they be married back in the capitol of the Fire Nation, Hi-Bing. The princess agreed, but the Water peoples rejected the proposition. After a massive revolt, the king of the Island had taken his daughter and led the Water Nation peoples far away from the Island in fear of losing his power to the Fire Nation. A foundation of ice was laid, and the Water people built the great city, making sure that their defenses were strong lest the Fire Nation come to attack.

Kana sighed at the memory of the legend. It showed that even way back when the city had been founded, women were still discriminated against. It was just all so wrong. There had to be somewhere that she could go and be equal to the men.

She glanced at a structure that was very familiar to her: her home, where she could sneak some supplies vital to her survival if she was to leave the city and travel. The nearest settlement was a small Earth Nation town four days out to the southeast.

Kana tied the canoe to a statue and snuck into the house, creeping silently against the walls. She didn't want her parents to hear her; agilely, she made her way to her room, grabbed an extra pair of shoes, a journal with many clear pages and a quill (she'd taught herself to read and write against her father's wishes), a water jug, a pair of mittens, and a blue-died bag to stuff it all in. Seeing no more of what she could want, she snuck to where the food was stored and snatched a bag of seal blubber jerky and four dried fish, wrapping the food in a thin bag. She slung the bag of supplies over her shoulder and rushed outside, thanking the merciful gods once again that she'd had such luck.

She set the bag of supplies and her personal items into the front of the canoe and stepped in, careful to maintain her balance, lest she fall into the water. So far, luck had been on her side, and she certainly didn't want the streak of good fortune to end.

Once more, Kana slid the paddle into the water of the channel and rowed her way to the edge of the city where she would be free from the harsh culture of the Northern Water Tribe.

The necklace charm glinted once more in the moonlight, resting around Kana's neck. She passed familiar landmarks of her childhood, of her life. Finally, she came to the edge of the walls, where she found a small alleyway through which she maneuvered the canoe into the open sea and sped forward through the gentle waves, traveling farther from her home than she ever had.

She never looked back.


	2. Burning Ice

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. This one's a bit longer than the last. Be happy.

Disclaimer: Note that the name of the site is FANfiction? That should pretty much be self-explanatory.

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

The canoe sliced through the calm waters silently, like some unnoticed little seal seeking a fish for an evening meal. But what the one moving the canoe forward did not long for a meal nor a fish; no, she yearned for freedom, a kind of liberty that few women of the world had. But she would find that freedom, and come to teach any sons she had to respect women as equals. 

She plowed the paddle into the glazed-over water, with each stroke getting closer and closer to freedom. What would happen once she reached the nearest Earth Nation town?

Musing all the possibilities, Kana finally decided to stick to one plan. She would disguise herself as a nomadic non-bender with affiliation to none of the four Nations. Traveling the world, she'd meet new people, see new places, tell stories of the Ancient Times for money or take up odd jobs here and there. And people would start to speak of the Woman of No Nation, the one who was perhaps a spirit, alerting the people of the world of stories long forgotten, when peace reigned.

All she'd ever heard were stories. Kana had never known peace. War was always occurring, men dying, people going into hiding. It was normal. But it was scary. The war had already been going on for twenty-four years when she'd been born.

She noticed ripples in the water, and raised an eyebrow. Kana looked up and scanned the horizon. First, she saw nothing. But then—it only took a few minutes to see the massive black hulks of metal in the distance. And that only meant one thing.

Fire Nation.

Lost, drained of any emotion, Kana wondered if she should go back and notify the city of the looming danger. But the ships were so close and she was so helpless—her efforts would be in vain if she were to head back to the city. So, she paddled as quietly as she could into the shadow of a tall iceberg and prayed to the Ocean Spirit and the Moon Spirit and the gods of no names, who had been lost to her culture for many, many years.

But her mother had told her wonderful stories of the Spirits, of the gods of no names, of great men and women and heroes who led the Northern City or those who saved some unnamed Earth Kingdom town. Stories of the Ancient Times, foolish idolatry that fascinated her all the same.

The black ships moved slowly but consistently through the Waters, on a course for the Northern City. Kana knew that the Fire Nation wouldn't attack during the night, for the moon was out, and that was when the Waterbenders were at their strongest.

Oh. _Oh_. How terrible it would be if the Firebenders harmed all those innocent people. She'd could let that happen. She was the only one around who could stop the fiery, vengeful Firebenders. She would stop them, even if it took her life.

For then, she would join those famed heroes and heroines of the Ancient Times; stories would be told about her selflessness, about how she was so oppressed but instead took destiny into her own hands.

Kana would become a legend.

* * *

Getting onto the ship hadn't been easy. She'd waited for the perfect moment, carefully following the small fleet. The fleet had stopped a bit ago, and a few of the men had gone out in a lifeboat to fish. They'd had difficulty seeing, but Kana could see all; the moon shown with brilliant life tonight, lighting up much of the world. 

When the men fishing turned their backs, she swam quietly to the edge of one of the ships and dragged herself up the side of the ship with the aid of a rope—the same rope that had let down the lifeboat. She found a spare spear and cut the rope so that it fell to the cold, clear ocean below, trapping the fishing men in their little lifeboat.

The Spirits and the gods of no names had been with her so far. She felt that it had been destiny she'd chosen tonight of all nights to make her great escape. Paku's proposal had been the last straw.

Stealth came easily to Kana that night under the smiling moon. _I am Tui the Luminescent_, pronounced the moon in its brilliance, _And I light the entire earth with aid of my friends the stars._

Likewise, the ocean reflected the moon's brilliance. _I am La the Endless, and I shall swallow up all of my enemies_, proclaimed the sparkling ocean.

She reveled the brilliance of both Tui and La, sending a prayer to each. Kana crept then into the labyrinth of the black ship, thanking Tui for her light and La for his kindness.

* * *

Day broke bright and early on the Northern City. The sky framed the flaming red sun that demanded the attention of all that looked upon the world. It was in this flaming red sun that Yogota saw only anger and hate, so opposed its counterpart the moon, who was ever so bright and beautiful. In that sun, Yogota saw daylight determined to reveal Kana as she escaped. It was an evil thing, the sun, and she cursed it. 

"Yogota!" called a loud, full voice. Yogota turned around. It was Paku.

"Yes?" she asked indifferently, knowing what Paku was going to ask. Yogota averted her eyes to the ground, determined not to give Kana's secret away.

"Have you seen Kana? She never came home from what her parents told me and I haven't seen her at all. I don't know what happened to her, if anything did."

Yogota clenched her teeth together, burning holes in the snow on the ground with the intensity of her gaze of determination. "No," she stated quietly, hoping it was enough, that Paku would leave her be.

"Oh," Paku responded. But it wasn't really a response. More of a moan of genuine sorrow. Yogota curled her toes in her boots, trying her best to not speak more than she needed to. It was so difficult to deceive someone that was honest in his motives. She was beginning to hate herself for lying to him. The only one she'd ever loved.

_What? No. He is Kana's. But Kana does not wish to be his. And I will not give Kana away. Friendship is worth more than a petty little crush._

It was hard to deny herself the only person she loved (besides Kana), but she would do it. She was strong. Yogota could hold back, and let it pass.

_Father was a fool to say that I am weak and unfit to keep his name until I marry_, thought Yogota, angered, _He was wrong. He was so wrong, as wrong as how much he wronged me. Cast out and living in the streets, that petty little Yogota? Hardly, Father, hardly._

"Yogota?" inquired Paku, calling Yogota back to reality and out of her musings. Yogota met his eyes and kept eye level with him.

"What?" she asked.

Paku stared at her for a moment, getting a suspicious look in his eye. But it passed. "Nothing," he responded, turning away and walking off.

He turned his head to look at her while he strode off.

Yogota still kept eye level with him. Her eyes wouldn't betray her because she was strong. And she wouldn't betray Kana because their friendship was strong.

* * *

The young man stared out over the sea, the brilliant dawn reflecting in his glowing golden eyes. He turned around, searching for a companion to speak with. He found a tall man dressed in Firebender armor, motioning for the man to come over. 

"Captain," acknowledged the crewman.

The young man with the gold eyes stared into the mask of armor over his crewman's face. The crewman was a great deal taller than he; but on the social ladder, the golden-eyed man was by far much taller. "Have you found anything yet as to why the ships have stopped?" asked the young man, desperately hoping for some reasonable answer to the situation at hand.

"Captain, sir," acknowledged the crewman once again, "Lieutenant Yagos suspects that the engines were damaged. The door to the engine room is jammed shut. Men are attempting to break down the door as we speak."

The young man, the Captain, frowned. He was trying to think of a solution for the predicament; ever-optimistic, jovial, and wise beyond his sixteen years, the Captain was someone that the entire fleet looked up to. Normally, people of the Captain's social status did nothing with their lives but sit around and enjoy the greatest luxuries money could buy. But already the Captain had contributed much and was a great asset to the Fire Navy.

"And do you know why the door is jammed shut?" inquired the Captain.

The crewman smiled, glad to finally give the Captain some valuable information. "Yes, sir; the lock and hinges appear to be frozen."

The Captain raised an eyebrow. "Frozen?"

"Yes, m' lord."

"And have they tried melting it?"

"Yes, they have sir. The ice is different from normal ice—one of the men got a burn from touching it."

The Captain pondered the oddity even more, and then something came to him. "Burning Ice," he said simply. "It had to be a Waterbender—no one else can handle such a thing as Burning Ice."

Eyebrow raised, the crewman seemed genuinely confused. Burning Ice? He'd only heard of it once, in a fairytale where the Fire Lord's daughter had been locked away in a castle with a door of Burning Ice, and whoever rescued the Princess would have her hand in marriage.

How had that tale ended? A young non-bender peasant had saved the Princess by—

"I've got it!" exclaimed the Captain, excited. "Douse the Burning Ice in water and it will melt! Yes, that should work."

The crewman nodded to his superior, amazed at the young man's intellect. He really was something else, the young man who commanded the entire four-ship fleet. The crewman watched as the Captain waved him on, grinning in triumph and pride and joy.

A shadow crossed the corner of his eye, concealed behind the dark shade of the tall upper tower of the ship. He turned, trying to see who it was, but there was nothing there. No one there? But—what, a shadow again? Slipping down into the water with but a miniscule splash—

"Sir!" bellowed the crewman, "There is an intruder escaping from your ship. Sir, sir! We must catch the intruder, quick—the intruder might be the one that destroyed the engines—sir!"

The Captain whipped around into Firebending stance, eyes scanning the deck. He noticed a shadow in the water, and dove in after it.

The shadow swam underwater at a rapid pace, hard for the Captain to keep up with. He spotted a lifeboat full of sleeping Firebenders holding a few fish, and past that, a canoe. That was where the shadow was headed—the canoe.

"Hey! Wake up!" shouted the Captain, and the Firebenders in the lifeboat started. "After the canoe," he ordered, hopping into the boat.

"Captain!" squeaked one of the younger Firebenders, surprised.

"Go!" yelled the Captain, and quickly the men plunged their oars into the water. The chase was on.

* * *

Kana heaved herself into the canoe, breathing heavily. So much Waterbending after two years of no practice had taken its toll on her, and rather quickly. Burning Ice was difficult to make, and she struggled with Waterbending Basics. Such a great amount of energy she'd put into creating the Burning Ice. She hoped it wasn't in vain. 

She heard oars slashing into the crystalline waters that reflected the red horizon. Becoming worried, she punched the water and propelled her canoe forward, away from her pursuers. Kana inhaled deeply, sucking in as much air as she could. She felt so weak—vaguely, she reached for the paddle, thinking that she wouldn't use Waterbending for a while—but, she was so weakened, so tired—

Kana barely thought of anything but how tired she was as the world faded to black.


	3. Interrogation

A/N: Dude. I take forever to update. I spend too much time on drabbles and Zutara one-shots. Sorry…

Okay. I'll stop rambling now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

The Captain stared at the young woman lying in the canoe. She was adorned in blue tribal clothing characteristic of the Water Nation. Well, that would make sense—after all, he was near the North Pole. Apparently she could Waterbend as well, for he'd seen her propel her canoe forward through the water in a vain effort to escape.

She was just a young girl, younger than he would've expected, and she was all alone. He had some of his crew search her bags to find some food, spare clothing, and an empty book that looked to be a journal along with a spare quill. The Captain ordered for the Firebenders to bring her back to the ship, and to burn the canoe. He wouldn't need the canoe, and if it were found floating out on the ocean, things might get suspicious.

Once on the deck of the ship, the Captain noticed the burst of color along the eastern horizon: the sunrise. The Water Nation would be more vulnerable during the day rather than the night.

"Tell the helmsman to set a course full speed to the North Pole," instructed the Captain. He continued staring out at the ocean, pondering its great lengths and depths, how it was so immense, when another Firebender cautiously approached him.

"Sir?" asked the Firebender.

The Captain sighed in annoyance and discontentment. But such was the life of a commanding officer, as he'd learned over the six months or so he'd been leading his small fleet. "Yes?"

The Firebender saluted him and then spoke. "What should we do with the intruder, sir?"

"Put her in one of the empty quarters and lock the door," the Captain said without much interest. The girl was unconscious now, and useless. He could have one of the Firebenders interrogate her later. "And when she wakes, speak with her about why she came on my ship," he added hotly.

"Yes sir," responded the Firebender, drawing away from the Captain.

The Captain rubbed his face. He was tired. And he had a bit of time before his fleet reached the North Pole—

So he went to his quarters and slept.

* * *

When Kana awoke, she was in a dimly-lit room with cold metal walls. She was lying on a small, narrow cot, and her back was rather sore, as well as her head.

Groaning, the girl sat up. Her eyes flicked from the floor to the ceiling to the door. As if a reflex, she jolted for the door and strained to pull it open. But it wouldn't. Frowning, she tried again. When that didn't work, Kana slammed the door, only to regret the action as she'd hurt her hand in the process.

She collapsed back down on the cot, scared. _I must be on a Fire Nation ship. They must've captured me_, she realized. This thought did nothing to comfort her, but rather made her ashamed of herself. Had she really thought she would've been able to get away? She was a foolish young girl, nothing more.

Kana didn't look up when the door opened and a man dressed in Fire Nation armor stepped into the room. She heard him close the door behind him, but that didn't matter to her. If she didn't see her interrogator, then maybe she wouldn't be as scared as if she had seen him.

"The Captain of this fleet, Prince Iroh, has ordered for you to be interrogated on the grounds that you are suspected of a treasonous, harmful act to Fire Nation people and property. You will answer every question I ask you. You do not have any rights now. You are a fugitive and you will be treated as such."

Kana glanced up at the Firebender, for she couldn't help herself. He was wearing his helmet, so she couldn't see his face. This only made it more frightening than it already was.

Her acute eyes also noticed that the Firebender was reading what he had said aloud from a scroll. But still, his words unnerved her.

"A scribe will be brought to observe and record everything that happens. You will pay no heed to the scribe, but rather only answer to me," continued the Firebender in a commanding drone.

The Firebender rolled up the scroll and stuck it in his belt. He opened the door and a young man about Kana's age dragged in a chair and desk as well as a plain scroll, quill, ink, and a cup of tea. The Firebender helped the scribe set up his desk, and then he turned to Kana.

Kana still peered past her interrogator at the scribe. He was about her age, had the traditional brown hair of the Fire Nation—but he also had golden eyes that Kana somehow knew from somewhere, as if she had seen them before. She gave a shudder as she noticed the menacing glare from her interrogator, and she sat back against the wall.

"First," started the Firebender, "state your name and nation."

Kana was unsure of what to tell them. She told them the truth because she saw no harm in them knowing her name and what was already so painstakingly obvious: she was from the Water Tribe.

"Kana of the Water Tribe," she responded automatically. This wasn't so bad. She'd be fine.

She heard the slash of quill against scroll as the scribe wrote out her name and nation in elegant characters. It was truly the work of a master scribe; Kana herself had taken months to write a character properly, and she noticed how her characters were barbaric compared to the scribe's.

"Why were you out alone in the ocean near our ship?" questioned the Firebender.

Kana cursed under her breath. They suspected that she'd been sent to stop their fleet from attacking the Northern City. Well, as long as the Firebenders thought they didn't have the element of surprise, then Kana wasn't going to give it to them.

"To stop your fleet," she said simply. And then, for instilling a bit of fear into the Firebenders, she added, "There are more of us, you know. We're all around, ready to finish off your commanding officer at any moment. We will attack without notice. And then you'll be sorry you're holding me here."

The scribe coughed lightly, scribbling characters down as fast as he could. Kana couldn't read what he wrote, for he shielded the scroll from her eyesight. Kana's interrogator glanced quickly at the scribe. The scribe coughed again, and the interrogator turned back to Kana.

"How did you know the fleet was coming to your—" The Firebender looked as if he was struggling to find the right word. At last, he continued: "settlement?"

Kana stared him down angrily. She knew the Firebender thought her people rather barbaric, but in fact she knew that the Fire Nation were the barbarians.

"My city," she stated quietly, putting extra emphasis on 'city,' "has known of your plan to come to conquer us for a while. We will not be stopped. We have strong walls to defend our people, and we surround you simply because you are in our element. You will not take the Northern City, but it shall be the other way around."

Kana waited for a reaction from the Firebender. She was disappointed when he asked her, "You mean that you plan to attack Hi-Bing?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, that Fire Nation _settlement_?" she hissed, knowing fully that she had just called one of the most advanced, splendorous cities in the world something far worse. "It will easily fall to the ground when our forces attack from the Earth Nation. Even the—" Kana paused. No. She couldn't say that. It was just too far-fetched—

"The what?" inquired the Firebender, now showing a little interest.

—and yet again. It would instill great fear in any Fire Nation soldier's heart.

"Even the Avatar will be helping us."

The Firebender backed against the wall, showing great surprise. The scribe choked on his tea, resulting in another one of his coughing fits. Kana watched, amazed, as the two men stared back at her. They were _afraid_ of her.

"The Avatar is alive?" the scribe asked meekly.

Kana smiled maliciously. This was going much better than she had expected. "Yes, and he will lead his people against you as well."

The truth was, that the Air people hadn't been seen since their demise at the start of the war. But rumors circulated around that there were still some of the Air Nomads left, hiding in the Water and Earth Nations or wandering around the world. Kana realized how much this came to her as an advantage, and she decided that she would use it as such.

"Yes," she said, standing up, smirking as the Firebender and the scribe backed against the wall, "the Avatar is alive."

* * *

The Captain slammed the door of the prisoner's quarters shut and locked it. He turned to his accomplice, a Firebender, with tools, scroll, and desk in hand. "I want this cell guarded both day and night. Maximum security. You of all people know how important this is, Yagos."

"Yes, sir," saluted the Firebender, Yagos. "Shall I put away your desk and equipment?"

"Yes, do that," ordered the Captain. He handed Yagos the desk, ink, and quill, but kept the scroll of notes he'd taken during the interrogation for himself.

"Prince Iroh?" asked Yagos quietly as the Captain turned to leave.

The Captain stopped short. "Please do not call me 'Prince Iroh,' Lieutenant Yagos. 'Sir' or 'Captain' will be fine."

"Of course, sir."

The Captain, Iroh, glanced at Yagos. "What were you going to ask?"

"Oh," mumbled Yagos, shifting the desk in his arms. "Well, sir, do you really think the Avatar is alive? Sir?"

Iroh turned his head away from Yagos, rubbing his chin in thought. "I don't know, Lieutenant. I really don't know."

And with that being said, still clenching the scroll of such horrifying information, Iroh strode down the hallway and out of sight of the Lieutenant.

* * *

She found him sitting on the ramparts of the city walls, looking out at the ocean. He had a surreal look on his face, as if he weren't there, but rather a Spirit of some kind. Yogota felt her heart droop every so slightly, knowing that she had impartially caused Paku all this misery.

"Paku?" she called as she approached him, waiting for a response. He remained silent. "Paku," she said again, "have you found anything?"

Paku turned his head away, miserable. "Some of the other Waterbenders have been out searching for her since this morning. They have found nothing."

"And what of you, have you been looking?" she asked, more to keep talking to him than to actually learn the answer of the question. Although. She did need to know the answer to the question, for if he'd given up on looking for Kana, then he would be open to love again.

Paku gestured to the ocean. The waves in it distorted a semblance of the color-splashed sunset above its watery depths. "I am still looking for her, but I see nothing."

Yogota eyed him lovingly. A surge of confidence rang through her, and she spoke clearly and evenly. "It takes a while to see the truth."

He jolted around, eyes frenzied and wild. "What did you mean by that?" he hissed. Yogota shook her head and refused to speak. "What did you mean by that?" he bellowed once again.

Yogota saw pain and betrayal in his eyes, but she didn't answer him. There were more important things than her petty desires. There were things that lasted even longer than love. Friendship was one of them.

"Speak, you insolent woman!" ordered Paku.

Yogota shook her head. Nothing he did to her would reveal the truth about Kana. She would not give in.

Paku roared in frustration and lunged at Yogota.

Yogota closed her eyes, bracing herself. She would keep Kana's secret. Friendship was even stronger than love, and she knew this to be true.


	4. Messenger Hawk

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update! This chapter introduces a few new characters—not just canon, but some OCs as well. Forgive me, please. I didn't mean to, but they were necessary. :hides from angry mob:

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

Yogota gritted her teeth, crossing her arms over her face in reflexive self-defense. She waited for the impact to come, but it never did. Lowering her arms, she saw Paku lying on the ground a bit away from her, covered in water. But—how…? 

Paku glowered at Yogota with a look of sheer anger and slight awe. "You _woman_—where did you learn that? You know that Waterbending is forbidden for you!"

Yogota's eyes flitted around, trying to find a way to escape from this awful predicament. She had Waterbended, right in front of Paku. Women were not allowed to bend, except to heal. It was simply a fact of life. And here she was, bending water to knock Paku away from her. What had started as a perfect opportunity was becoming a grave ordeal that Yogota was unable to handle.

There had to be a way to run where Paku would not see her run off. There just had to be a way.

But Paku stood, and was sprinting at her with a great streak of water to his side. He was coming to her, and there was nothing she could do but rely on her instincts. Fight or flight. She chose on the former, and summoned a thin whisk of water at her side. Bending it gracefully as she had seen Paku and the other Waterbenders do, she twisted to the side and lunged forward, knocking the charging Paku onto his back once again.

Paku, undaunted, spluttered and shook the water off him. Using the snow to boost him up, he formed a great ball of ice and aimed it straight at the Yogota. Yogota ducked, but the ice ball still found its target. It hit her head with a terrible blinding pain; it was all Yogota could do to run without direction as far as she could away from Paku before she blacked out.

* * *

Paku hissed in anger. Yogota had gotten away. He had trusted her. But Yogota had helped Kana escape; Paku just now realized this, and it broke his heart all the more that Kana had betrayed him, abandoned him. Silently, he vowed to himself that he would never love again, no matter what. Kana was gone; this he understood. Paku would get over the anguish and grief soon enough. But first, he allowed himself to have a few feelings of spite and vengefulness. And so, he blamed Yogota. This was all her fault. And above all, she had Waterbended. _Shameful, shameful._

He dashed madly after the stumbling Yogota, determined to have his revenge. When he went back to the city, he would say that Yogota had gone crazy at the loss of her friend and attacked him with Waterbending, and that he had done all he could to calm her. Even if it was untrue, the tale would seem plausible; after all, women weren't allowed to Waterbend and Yogota had.

The young Waterbender watched as Yogota stumbled and fell. She remained immobile, lying on the ground, passed out. Honor chided Paku, telling him he couldn't fight someone who was unable to defend herself. But Paku did not care. He formed another ice ball and slammed it into the back of her head, uncaring as the blood gushed out of her new wound.

_Shameful, shameful_, echoed the voice. _You evil, evil thing_, screamed his conscience.

_Shameful, shameful. At least bring her back to the city; maybe then, Tui and La will redeem you._

Without hesitation, Paku picked Yogota and hauled her onto his back, making towards the city where reality would come crashing around his shoulders in the form of scorn and jeers of the other Waterbenders.

* * *

Kana could not help but smile devilishly at her victory. The interrogator and the scribe had hurried out of her quarters as fast as they could, and locked her in here alone. Again. But she did not mind being alone. It was better than being in the company of Firebenders, in any case. 

She had told them that the Airbender Avatar had returned, that he was hiding in the Earth Nation with Water Tribe forces—that was all fake. And yet, she had concocted the story so brilliantly and played it out excellently. Now the Firebenders feared her, and maybe they would let her go. And then she would order them to go back to the Fire Nation or the others would attack, and they'd leave, scurrying away in fear of the psuedo-Avatar hiding in the Earth Nation who could attack Hi-Bing at any second.

But after she sent the ships away, where would she go? There was always the option of returning home, but that Kana refused to do. She was an outcast now; she had made herself one. Kana liked her original idea of becoming the Woman of No Nation. She decided that she would steal a lifeboat from the Firebenders and row to the Earth Nation where she could help establish a place to resist the Fire Nation. And then, after a very long time, maybe her fantasy about the Avatar ready to attack Hi-Bing would come true.

It was all a very long shot, but Kana thought she could pull it off. After all, she had the Avatar on her side now.

Or at least that is what the Fire Nation believed.

* * *

Iroh hastened to his room and, before slamming the door shut, ordered a servant nearby not to let anyone disturb him. He needed time to think and time to rest. The servant did not question him. 

Now sitting on the floor in front of a table with four unlit candles on it, Iroh unrolled the scroll and read over his notes again. The prisoner was named Kana, and she was from the Water Tribe; there were more Waterbenders around, ready to kill him at any second; the Water and Earth Nation along with what remained of the Air Nation were going to attack Hi-Bing soon, led by the Avatar…

All the news, it was most distressing for the young Captain. He did not like it one bit. Iroh suspected that maybe the prisoner had been lying about it—but how could someone lie about something so great as the return of the Avatar? And truly, the prisoner had seemed rather genuine about the whole ordeal. Her confident trust in her people had scared him; the prisoner had been certain she would be rescued.

The Avatar! The Avatar had returned. It was all too much.

Fumbling around, Iroh finally found a blank scroll, a pot of ink, and a quill. He scratched out a quick note and rolled it up, tying it with a deep red ribbon. The Captain opened the door to his quarters and prompted the servant standing guard outside to send a messenger hawk to Hi-Bing.

"It is very important news. Be certain that no one reads it," Iroh ordered quietly. The servant nodded and strode off down the hallway. "Quickly!" shouted Iroh. The servant broke into a run. Iroh shut the door to his quarters again and settled quietly on the floor, igniting the candles with a single thought. They flickered as he breathed in and out, practicing a ritual of meditation that would not help him save his nation from the Avatar.

* * *

Yogota awoke to a soft light filtering in from the windows. She was on a cot in the Atlanti Room; a healer attended a wounded soldier a few cots farther down from her. The healer told the weak soldier to get some rest, and turned around to find Yogota sitting up. Hurrying over to Yogota, the healer smiled. 

"Oh, Iyaka thought for sure you were gone, but no, what did I say? I said, Iyaka, she will live! She is a healer and her body will mend itself with my help! You may think her corrupt and odd because of what happened, but she will get better, Iyaka, because I am here to help her!" chattered the healer.

"What?" asked Yogota, dazed. What had happened? She remembered keeping a terrible secret from someone she loved—whoever had she loved, for she could not recall—and had finally told him what happened only to have him set his wrath on her. What was the secret she had kept? Who was the one she loved? Yogota remembered neither of these things; she only knew that she had no family and that she was a healer who worked in the Healers' Structure.

The healer giggled, smiling. "My name is Yumi and I am nineteen, three years older than you! Do you remember me? I helped you tend that poor soldier after the Fire Nation attack, do you not remember?"

Yogota rubbed her head, unsure. "Where is Kana?" she asked.

A dark look crossed Yumi's face. "One day, she was lying in a cot in the Oceania room, and the next day, she's gone. Her betrothed, Paku, was the one who found you hurt and brought you here so that you could be healed. He is a very kind man, but his soul is so broken now that Kana is gone."

"Gone? How could she just be gone? Oh, now I truly have no family!" wailed Yogota.

Yumi patted Yogota's arm. "There, there, Yogota! I am sure she is alright. I have heard that—" Yumi looked around, as if to make that no one was within earshot, "—that Kana ran away. Ha, fancy that! A young noblewoman who has her life made for her, running away?"

Yogota rubbed her head again. This Yumi girl sure was gossipy. And yet—Yumi was the only family Yogota had now.

"Yumi?" Yogota asked.

"Yes, dear Yogota?"

"Will you be my family now that I have no one else?"

Yumi looked Yogota with a serious look. "Will I be your family now, Yogota?" She mused over the question for a bit, and then a smile came to her face. "Yes, I think I will."

* * *

Soaring over the dark ocean, the bird glided through the air towards the city in the west. The city reflected the sunset like a mirror; it was a breathtaking sight, but that did not concern the bird. The only thing that mattered was the small, rolled-up scroll bound to its leg by a dark red ribbon. 

The hawk dove down to the city, heading straight to its center where the tallest building stood. It flew over the walls of the structure, through a lush orchard, past a sparring ring, through gardens full of blooming red and orange and yellow flowers. The hawk hovered near an open window and fluttered inside, pushed in by a light breeze. A young boy of about twelve years of age spotted the hawk, and jogged over to it to receive the note.

Allowing the hawk to perch on his armor-covered arm, the boy untied the scroll from the bird's foot and unrolled the scroll, reading the quick, scrawled characters. All of a sudden, the boy's demeanor changed from a boyish happiness to a look of grave severity.

"Father!" yelled the boy, darting through the halls of the building, the red hawk flapping after him. The boy shouted once again for his father; he continued running through the halls. He noticed a servant and spoke harshly to the young woman.

"Servant!" barked the boy, "Have you seen my father?"

The woman trembled and fell to her knees, bowing deeply to the boy. "My Lord, I did not realize it was you. Forgive my discourtesy, your highness!" she exclaimed.

"I have no time for formalities! Answer me!" snapped the child.

"Your highness, I have only seen your honored mother's brother, Lord Kanz, about in the gardens. Your greatly honored father, his majesty Lord Kontun, I have not had the honor of laying my eyes upon."

The child frowned. "I have most urgent news for my father! I must see him immediately!" he screeched. "Go find someone who knows where he is, you worthless woman."

"Yes, Lord," she answered humbly, turning to dash away. The boy frowned. He knew the servant would not be returning to him any time soon. He growled in frustration.

Deciding to ask whether Kanz knew where his father was, the child raced to the gardens where he found Kanz with a woman a few years older than him who he did not recognize.

"Kanz!" spat the boy. Kanz looked up from the woman's face to the child's, his own face contorting with anger. "And you, geisha! Get out of my home before I have you executed!" howled the child.

Kanz stared hatefully at the child as the woman scuttled away. "Boy, do you know what you just cost me? Geisha are expensive, fool! I ought to burn you right here for your insolence."

The child folded his arms, undaunted and hateful. "You will not speak to me that way, Kanz. I expect to be treated with the utmost respect. But that is not why I am here. Have you seen my father about?"

Kanz sneered at the child. "If I have seen him, I am not telling you anything, foolish boy." Kanz spat at the child's feet.

The child kicked his foot out, and a large blast of fire erupted from it, knocking over Kanz. Running over to Kanz, the boy took an offensive stance. "You will tell me where my father is, Kanz. I will not suffer any disloyalty from you, I hope."

Kanz flared his nostrils in disgust. "You disgusting child, he is with Maia at the royal port. Leave me to peace!"

Smirking, the child responded. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, go do whatever it is you do, and do not bring a geisha here again. You know very well they were forbidden from the palace after what happened with my father, before he married my mother."

"Yes, I remember perfectly well. He had that little bastard brother of yours, Iroh."

The child leaned in to Kanz's face, whispering harshly, "Iroh is a fool. He is not part of the royal family, nor is he my brother. He is gone from Hi-Bing for a reason, you know."

And with that, Prince Ozai stormed out of the gardens and ran to the royal port.

* * *

"Father! Father!" yelled Ozai, rushing to his father and mother, who were sitting together in a balcony that overlooked the port. "I have news, father, and it is not good!" 

Ozai stopped short as soon as he reached his father and mother, and held out the scroll to his father. His father read the scrawled message, eyes narrowing.

"Dearest husband, what is the news that this message brings?" asked Ozai's mother, Maia, to the Fire Lord.

"It is Iroh," he said quietly.

Maia's face turned to one of disgust. "I thought he was gone from Hi-Bing for good?" she hissed.

The Fire Lord shook his head. "No; no, it is not about Iroh. It is just, Iroh has found that—that—"

"What has he found?" screeched Maia.

"He has found that the Avatar is alive."

It took a moment for Maia to realize what the true implications of that statement were.

* * *

A/N: Again, I am so sorry for the abundance of OC's in this story. I think there's… Well, there's Iyaka the Head Waterbender-Healer of the Healers' Structure, Yumi the healer (Yogota's healer), Lieutenant Yagos, Fire Lord Kontun, Fire Lady Maia, Lord Kanz (Maia's brother), and that servant that Ozai was all mean to… And the hawk, if you want to count it as well. So yeah. I own all of them. 

Oh, by the way, a geisha is a Japanese woman who is very gifted at dancing/singing/reading poetry/playing music and stuff, it's not just a common prostitute… Anyone see the movie Memoirs of a Geisha? Awesome movie. It's very good.

Okay, I'll stop advertising Memoirs of a Geisha now... Mindless praise is accepted, constructive criticism is appreciated, and flames are used to cook seal-blubber jerkey for Paku.


	5. Scheming

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys (for the most part) approve of the OCs (most of them are very minor characters). Yogota and Paku's parts in this story end in this chapter. And to add to that, I'm thinking this story will be between seven and ten chapters—we'll see. Also, sorry about the inconsistency concerning my explanation of the Geisha… I was stupid for a moment there, but I went back and fixed it. Thanks, guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is copyrighted under Nickelodeon, I think. I do know for certain that Michael DiMartino and Bryan Koneitzko created the series, though I doubt I spelt their names right…

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

Paku stared out at the sparkling sea, knowing that it had taken his love from him—it had swallowed her whole. She was no more, only a speck of sunshine on the distant horizon, a grain in the sands of time. But he would not let her disappearance ruin him. He still had his whole life ahead of him. 

Standing, Paku streamed water from the snow around, closing his eyes to let him become the water, become who he was destined to be.

Kana had left him, but that would not deter him. He would study Waterbending as hard as he could, put all his passion into it. That way, he would forget all that had happened. And forgetting was the first step to continuing on with his life.

* * *

Yumi smiled at her new sister as she changed the bandages around the great would. The Healer had a vague idea of what had happened, but she would voice it to no one; it was neither her business nor her concern. She would heal Yogota and shape her into a great Healer, just like Iyaka, just like her—just like Yumi. Yumi knew that Yogota would never remember what had happened, for the damage to her head had affected her memory—but with Yumi's help, Yogota would never retain the past and would shape her future into something respectable. 

"Yumi?" asked Yogota slowly.

"Yes, my sister?" she asked softly.

"You are really there…"

Placing her hand on Yogota's shoulder, Yumi broke into silent tears that went unnoticed by Yogota. "Yes, Yogota, and I will always be here for you."

* * *

The Prince raced through the palace to find the messenger hawk that had delivered Iroh's letter—it had flown off while he had sprinted to his father and mother. He tore through one hall, flew past the servants, who were too stunned to bow as he dashed by. Ozai had to find that darned bird, for it was the only hawk who had a general knowledge of wherever Iroh's fleet was. 

"Hawk!" he called out as he continued his mad dash through the palace grounds. Tearing through the orchard, he saw Kanz and another man in a dark cloak nearby and hid behind a tall peach tree, curious as to what was going on.

"You heard me, he came running through here, fast as a dragon. I do not know what is going on, but it was something concerning the Fire Lord, the brat was looking for him," said Kanz venomously. The man standing next to Kanz nodded; his face was obscured by the overhanging hood of his cloak, keeping his features shrouded in shadow.

"So the Fire Lord will be quite busy for the next days to come, won't he?" hissed the cloaked man.

"Probably," muttered Kanz, rolling his eyes.

"You remember our terms of the agreement, am I correct?"

"Well, of course I do, although are you entirely sure that you want all of the Earth Kingdom—"

"Impudence! Impudence, I say! I get you a position of power and you try to hoodwink me into getting the fiery end of the torch? Impudence and disloyalty, I say!" hollered the cloaked man.

Kanz threw his head wildly about as thought trying to make sure no one was around. "Shut up! Shut up, someone will hear you. Do you _want_ to be found out? Do you not want your land that I promised?" The cloaked man shook his head vigorously. "Then shut up!"

The cloaked man stood still, waiting for Kanz to continue.

"You know, I was under the impression that you were an _experienced_ assassin," snarled Kanz. The cloaked man trembled violently, snaking his hand around the handle of a short dagger.

"Insult me and I may just take your life," whispered the cloaked man in a malicious undertone. The man approached Kanz slowly, pinning him against a peach tree, putting the dagger at his throat. "Something tells me that you plan to betray me, Lord Kanz. I wonder _why_ that is?"

Kanz swallowed, sweat drenching his forehead. "I mean no treachery to you, Shadow. Please, I will hold up my end of the bargain."

"Good," sneered the cloaked man, the one called Shadow. Shadow whipped around and dashed off into the gardens before Kanz had regained his cool.

Ozai's eyes narrowed. Kanz was plotting something, by the looks of it, very treasonous. But he had to keep that for later.

Turning around, he spotted the red hawk perched on a roof of one of the servants' quarters some distance away. He dashed toward the hut, calling out to the bird of prey. "Hawk!" he bellowed, "Come here!" The hawk lazily descended from its perch and took a new one on Ozai's left arm. Ozai hastily tied the scroll he was carrying to the bird's foot and instructed it come back from where it came.

* * *

Knocking ever so lightly on the cold metal door, the servant waited for the Captain of the fleet to open it. The Captain did and, judging from the look on his face, was very stressed and concerned. "What? What is it?" asked the Captain in a frenzy. 

"Sir! A message, just arrived from the Fire Nation—just now that it is nearing dusk."

"What, news from the Fire Nation! Hand it here, servant," the Captain hastily ordered. The servant handed the scroll over to the Captain, who snatched it from the servant's hand and, in a whirl of anticipation and anxiety, tore off the ribbon that held the scroll in place and slowly unrolled it.

The servant peered over the Captain's should, read what was written: a message from the Fire Lord himself!

_Iroh,_

_Hasten home with the Waterbender you interrogated. This is a serious matter and action must be taken. If he were to return… You know what this means. You know how vital it is that we receive as much information as possible, that we defeat our enemies before they defeat us. Hurry, my son. Hurry._

_-Fire Lord Kontun_

The servant watched in great respect and awe as the Captain raised an eyebrow, shocked. "'My son,' he wrote? 'My son'? …Dear Agni, great Sun Spirit, it is worse than I feared…" The Captain glanced up and the servant backed away, but too late—the Captain had already noticed that the servant had been reading the scroll. "Servant! Do you understand the gravity of the situation?" The servant nodded meekly. "Then tell the helmsman to hasten home and do not stop for anything!"

Again, the servant nodded. "Yes, of course, sir—"

"Go!"

* * *

The small fleet of black ships had arrived in the harbor fifteen days after he had sent the letter, right at sunrise, right when the great Sun Spirit, Agni, had decided to open his shining eyes to the world once again. Kontun bowed ever so slightly to the sun, praising Agni for the safe return of Iroh—of his _son_, the one who knew the true workings of the world in ways that Ozai would never know; the son reflected the gift of understanding and compassion straight from the soul of the woman who had birthed him, who had been banished because of her great and terrible talent and beauty. 

As the ships docked and the gangplank was let loose, Kontun smiled to himself. Iroh was the only thing left of the one he had loved; but Iroh could never rule the Fire Nation, for it would upset the balance of the nobles and the royal family. But still. Iroh was—secretly—his only beloved son. _If only things had been different…_

Some Firebenders walked down the gangplank of the nearest ship first, bearing with them a bit of cargo that needed to be unloaded, and then, there was—Iroh, a striking young man who had grown much since being sent off into the waters of the earth with naught but a few ships and supplies to last him a month.

"Iroh," called Kontun hoarsely. The young man turned to the sound of his father's voice, a severe look upon his face. Behind Iroh, four guards surrounded a young-looking, dark-skinned woman adorned in blue robes. "Come here," Kontun called.

Iroh veered off the gangplank and approached his father with a strong, unwavering face. He had changed; or was it just fake, just play-acting, knowing that he was not a true royal, just the disgraced bastard son of the Fire Lord and that he must treat the Fire Lord with the utmost respect or be executed for being born?

"Fire Lord," acknowledged Iroh, bowing lowly to his father. "I have brought the one who has told us about the return of the Avatar."

"That is good," murmured Kontun, bottling his emotions within him, willing himself to forget the affection for the young man standing in front of him. "That is good. Come this way."

And the small group journeyed the rest of the way in perfect silence back to the immense, gleaming gem of ruby that was the Fire Nation royal palace.

* * *

Kana stood in silence at the foot of the throne of the Fire Lord and Fire Lady, her head bowed, not wishing to even look at the world's worst enemies. But they were there, and they wanted information. Things had gone too far. Things had not gone as planned. 

"Peasant!" screeched the Fire Lady, "Tell us where the Avatar is hiding!"

Kana flicked her eyes to the ceiling, observing the magnificent carvings of fire, of flame, of the element of hatred and death and destruction. It was all red and yellow and orange and beautiful—so beautiful—but so evil, so disturbingly evil. _Fire is the enemy. Do not forget that._

"I will tell you nothing," responded Kana coldly. She brought her icy blue eyes to meet those of the Fire Lady's, and a mental struggle occurred between them; the tension was so great that one could have bended it.

"Insolent Water girl! You will tell me everything!" shouted the Fire Lady. "Guards, you know what to do." And the Fire Lady watched with an evil look on her face as two guards closed in on Kana; one smacked her across the face, and her nose began to bleed.

She cried out and collapsed to the ground, hearing the malicious laughter of the Fire Lady in the background, hearing not a word from the Fire Lord. "Now will you tell me, witch?" the Fire Lady hissed.

Kana stood defiantly; a guard slammed her back down to her knees with the blunt end of his spear. The Fire Lady grinned in sickening delight.

Things had gone too far. This lie was—this could not happen—they could not attack her city again, but she did not want to die…

"There is no Avatar! He is not alive again!" she hollered as shetried to rise again, but the guard slammed her in the back of the head with his blunt spear.

"Stop this! Father, stop this!" shouted a voice, almost pleadingly.

Kana could barely focus as the Fire Lady stood in anger, confronting the one who had begged for it to stop.

"You! Traitor! You keep out of this!" And then, there was a pause. A pause that indicated the Fire Lady was contemplating something. The Fire Lady stepped off the raised area that her throne was in, and she slowly approached the golden-eyed teen who had defied her.

"Iroh!" she hissed. "You planned this! You told your little water witch to pretend the Avatar had returned so you could come home and gain the throne for yourself! Traitor!" she screamed for the entire room to hear. Looking around at the guards, the Fire Lady ordered shrilly, "Kill them both."

* * *

A/N: And that is my sucky attempt to try and make an interesting plot... Oh well. Sorry it took so long to update. 


	6. The Sea and The Rain

A/N: Woohoo, this story is moving quick. Next chapter is the climax, and then there'll be either another chapter or an epilogue, or something of that sort to wrap it up. So, enjoy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender was created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Koneitzko and is copyrighted to them and to Nickelodeon. I am just using the characters and setting for purely fictitious work of my own; I acknowledge that I own neither said characters nor said setting.

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

Kanz paced quickly around the dimly-lit garden near the servants' quarters. It was quite dark out, and an ominous, oppressing blanket of clouds lay over Hi-Bing, threatening to rain endlessly and flood the streets. Kanz had heard the scientists and fortunetellers talking; rumor spoke of a flood drowning the entire city by the hallowed time that the Sun Spirit rose over the peaks in the east and cast its light on the world, empowering the Fire Nation once more. 

But that was not what Kanz's chief concern was; rather, a visitor would be meeting with him tonight, a very important and secretive visitor that no one could find out about, or disaster would follow: Shadow was coming to speak with him once more.

"Emperor," hissed a voice into his ear. Kanz whipped around, letting out a distorted half-shout, before a black-gloved hand clamped around his mouth. "It is me, O Stupid One," greeted Shadow mockingly, his mouth forming a toothy grin that sent shivers up and down Kanz's spine. But pride would not let Kanz show fear, and he responded in the same sardonic tone.

"Been practicing a bit, have you? No more novice foolishness, I hope?" And this time Kanz was the one who got to smirk, showing off his small victory to the still-inexperienced assassin beside him.

"Be quiet, you," muttered Shadow, pulling his dark hood farther over his head so that Kanz could not see Shadow's face. The two began to walk, silently, through the garden, past the servants' quarters, to the sea. Kanz felt a little squeamish, having a natural internal fear of the water, but his face did not betray his emotions. He lit a small flame with a snap of his fingers and held it suspended in midair with his hand. Kanz looked over to Shadow's face and saw for the first time that night Shadow's black, black eyes that reflected no inexperience in them, only a deadly instinct that killed.

"To business, then?" whispered Shadow. Kanz nodded hastily. "Tell me, what has happened? I have heard things among the streets but I cannot know anything for sure."

"But surely a good assassin has ties to everyone in the city and knows all of what happens to his target _before_ even his target knows?" Kanz commented sarcastically.

"Do me a favor and _shut up_," hissed Shadow.

"Well then, I shall not be able to tell you what has happened, shall I?"

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in thought, attempting to think up a bitter remark that would put Kanz in his place. The best he came up with was, "Then talk, Kanz. Talk."

And talk Kanz did. He told Shadow of Iroh's return home and how he brought a Waterbender woman with him who told of the fabled Avatar's return home, how the Avatar was not really alive after all, how Maia had accused Iroh of treason and sent both the Waterbender and he to death. The two were currently wasting away in prison as Maia waited for the execution to be during a day of good weather so Iroh's disgrace would be public. He especially told of how Kontun had said nothing during the entire encounter, or so he had heard, and that Kontun had been reported to visit Iroh once or twice but did nothing to prevent the execution, and how Kontun had not spoken to his wife for some time now.

"The time is ripe, then, for it to happen," concluded Kanz. "I want Maia and the brat to be killed while Kontun helps his other brat escape the country."

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "The Fire Lord—"

"—Is going to help his bastard son flee the country rather than call off the execution, yes. He wants to keep the nobles happy, so he's following my sister's orders, but he also wants to save his son. It's a win-win situation for him, you see. And I'm sure he will not mind that his hated wife and son are gone as well."

Shadow stared blankly at Kanz.

"And you see, young novice, that even I make a better assassin than you do. Granted, I have connections, but what assassin does not? Perhaps I should not even give you—"

"Shut up!" hissed Shadow, his hand gripping around Kanz's neck, lifting him up into the air. "You could never be an assassin, you're too inadequate. You cannot kill like I can. I could kill you right now if I want to with my bare hands—"

"Your hands are _gloved_," Kanz wheezed, gasping for air. Even in mortal peril, he was still bitterly sardonic.

"Shut up!" ordered Shadow again. "I could suffocate you and take the throne for myself."

But Shadow's grip on Kanz's neck was relaxing and Kanz's feet were touching the sand once again. "But you will not, because you need information. And guess who has the information?" sneered Kanz as he tore Shadow's hand away from his sore neck, taking in a deep breath of air. "You'll get your Earth Kingdom, do not worry. But for right now, you have to uphold your part of the deal. Tomorrow, my sister and the brat will be found dead. You hear me?"

Shadow's eyes were blacker than ever as he spoke. "I hear you," he hissed. And then he turned around and faded into the night before Kanz could see where he had gone.

* * *

The air down in the dungeons was cold and clammy and altogether rather unwelcoming. It smelled of mold and rotting bodies that had never been taken out of cells; and the cries of the withering people who were actually alive sounded as though they had died long, long ago. Darkness and shadow surrounded the dungeons, and only a few torches every five cells down the corridor provided light with which to see. It was, overall, a place that Kana did not want to be. 

She sighed as she sat on the grimy floor of the small cell, staring past bars down the hallway to where a dark figure sat like she did, sulking. That was the one who had pleaded for the torture to stop; that was the one she had lied to. It was, in a way, her fault that he was even down here. But he deserved it. He was the son of the Fire Lord, and he was the worst enemy one could have.

_He is the one who saved my life and then got both of us killed_, she mused. She and he were to live for a while longer, for a large storm was coming (from what she had heard from the guards talking) and the Fire Lady wanted his execution to be as public as possible. Kana thought this rather vulgar, but she had better things to worry about. If a storm was coming, that meant water came with it—and lots of excess water meant flooding. If her hunch was correct, then the dungeons would be flooded overnight, and she could blast her way out of the cell with Waterbending while the rest of the miserable prisoners drowned. _The Fire Lady is not very smart_, thought Kana, _for the one she wants to showcase as a traitor to the Nation is going to die tonight, alone in a cell._

Kana subconsciously winced, not wishing death upon anybody. But then, death would probably be a welcome change to wasting away in darkness for the prisoners within the dungeons; Kana did not feel so bad about escaping after she thought that. She was going to escape tonight, and she would take a boat to wherever the winds decided to take her: she was going to be free.

All she had to do was wait for the fury of the rain, when it flooded the city and washed away everyone but her.

* * *

The rain pounded relentlessly on the clear windows that were so rarely shut, that always let a warm breeze from the bustle of the city into the corridors and hallways of the palace, giving one a content, secure sort of feeling; a feeling of home. But now, as Kontun stared blankly out a water-splattered window, he felt cold inside, like the last of his fire had gone out. His son was going to die, he hated his wife, his country was at war, and the nobles questioned his every move… He was almost jealous of his older brother Kuzon, who had lived before the war and had been friends with the Avatar, before Sozen had been so power-hungry and started the war. But Kuzon was dead, the Avatar was dead, even his father Sozen was dead, and now it was his duty to reign over the Fire Nation and conquer the world. _It is my duty; on my honor, I must... My honor—it is destiny. Destiny._

It was so cold. Like how the dungeons must be. The dungeons, that would be flooded up to one's knees by now. The dungeons! Kontun turned round and rushed through the halls, having forgotten that the dungeons were flooding with his son in them. He had not planned on the escape until the next night—but that could not be helped. Iroh had to be rescued. Iroh was the last beacon of hope for the royal family, for the entire Fire Nation. _He must live._

And so he ran, to save the last remnant of the only person that he had loved.

* * *

Maia had realized too late her folly; she had only just understood that a public execution of Iroh was not possible if he drowned in his cell. She had to make sure that he was publicly shamed, that his death was talked of throughout the whole country. It would ensure that Ozai would be the unquestioned heir to the throne, for he was the _real_ son of the Fire Lord. 

"Servants!" she barked. "Alert the guards in the dungeon immediately that I am coming! Hurry, before it is too late and the dungeons are flooded over!" Maia rushed back to her royal dressing room and stole the simpleton clothes of her attendant; she need not ruin a dress to make certain that her revenge was taken out to perfection. She walked as fast as her legs would take her to the west end of the palace, to where the dungeons were. The sun set in the west, and it was only fitting that prisoners should only be near where the sun died—they were traitors to the Fire Nation and they deserved to be disgraced as such.

She shouted at another servant to check if her son was asleep, and the servant told her that Ozai was. Maia brushed past the servant, taking care to knock into his shoulder, for he had not bowed to her like a servant should when addressing royalty.

Maia continued hastily along to the dungeons, taking her frustrations out on the servants she passed. One young man she stamped to the ground with her foot for looking at her eyes as if he were her equal; and she slapped a young serving woman across the face because the girl was wearing her hair in a way that only nobles were allowed to wear. Somewhat happier, Maia did not cease her venture to the far-off dungeon, though she decided to take her time and let the guards take care of the problem for her.

* * *

Shadow followed silently as his first target strode through the halls in a set of shabby servant's clothing. Why the Fire Lady was dressed so confused Shadow a bit, but he did not really care. He was waiting for the perfect moment to strike when there were no witnesses around, but the Fire Lady seemed to deliberately be running into servants and punishing them for petty wrongs. When the Fire Lady slapped a serving woman of not more than fifteen across the face, Shadow felt disgust in the Fire Lady. But that feeling of disgust did not prevent him from killing his target; he would not allow. And so he waited, following her as he leapt through the shadows, as invisible and unseen as a Spirit. 

_Someone is going to die in the Fire Palace tonight.

* * *

_

The winds howled eerily and the rains pelted the city in an unforgiving torrent. It was as though the Ocean Spirit and the Sky Spirit were intent on tearing the Fire Nation capital into little pieces, to bury it under the waves. The rains were greater than even the oldest of the people had seen. It was a storm sent by the Spirits, people whispered to themselves, shut in their homes. When the thunder rolled and the lighting flashed through the sky, scorching anything that it touched, the people speculated that the Fire Spirit had joined in the Ocean Spirit's and Sky Spirit's rage. They feared for their lives as the storm continued mercilessly, and for the first time, the Fire people doubted the immortality of the great Fire Nation capital, Hi-Bing.

But in the realm of the Spirits, there were no raging Spirits, no rampaging immortals unleashing their fury on the world. There was only precise calculation and understanding that the storm was necessary to the future, that it guaranteed the world would live on.

The storm was the very essence of destiny, and many things would happen under its ominous, oppressing clouds that night, the night that was crucial to the future fate of the world.

* * *

A/N of 2/24/06: Just a quick note, I found a small plothole and went back and fixed it. Kanz is not blood-related to Kontun at all and therefore not Kontun's cousin; Kanz is Maia's brother, and that's why he's a noble. Glad just to clear that up. 


	7. Floodwaters

A/N: Hiya! Thanks to all that reviewed. Behold! This is the second-to-last chapter! Yeah, I'm psyched (even though you're probably not…). But this is the climax; and next chapter will be the epilogue/resolution/whatever. So yay for me. I should have the last chappie up soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender; rather, Nickelodeon does. And Mr. DiMartino and Mr. Koneitzko created it. And I came up with a few minor characters in this story. Um. Yeah.

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

The rain pounded on the golden roofs of the great Fire City, streaking the windows of the palace, drenching the gardens and courtyards that the palace's walls encompassed. In the west end of the palace, there was something reminiscent of a small lake, a gigantic puddle of water than had flooded the normally arid area. Below the great towering spires of the western palace lay the dungeons, flooded already up to one's shins. 

Such was the situation that Kana was in. She worked hurriedly, attempting to blast down the bars of the cell but not having much success. The bars were made of metal and they were more resistant than she had originally thought. But still, she persistently bended wave after wave of water at the bars, at least hoping that it would do something for her.

A thought struck her and Kana mentally smacked herself at her stupidity. Of course, she could have just—yes, that would work fine; she had been too rushed to think of it before.

Kana summoned up a substantial amount of water in the air, and she froze it so that it became ice. Turning towards the bars that blocked her way from freedom, Kana pulled back her arms and very suddenly pushed forward with all her might. The ice slammed hard against the bars, shattering into several pieces so that Kana had to duck down to avoid being banged in the head by the flying debris. When she looked at the bars, they had not broken—but they were bent outwards a bit, and she could tell that the hit had done a considerable amount of damage to them.

She pulled up more water into the air and meant to repeat the process again, but she faltered as she heard a door clang open and she heard someone wading hurriedly through the water toward a cell near her own. Curious, she released the water from her mental grasp and observed as a tall man she thought somewhat familiar opened the cell of the Prince and begged the Prince to come out of the cell. The Prince happily obliged. He needed no second bidding.

As the two men turned to hurry out of the dungeon, Kana saw that she was not going to be freed. She pulled the water back up into the air, froze it, and heaved it against the bars in a desperate attempt to be free. The ice chunk clanged loudly on the bars, causing the two men to turn around in bewilderment.

"What was that?" whispered the man that Kana did not recognize.

"I am not sure. Do you think anyone has heard it?" hissed the Prince, sounding somewhat afraid. Kana listened to the two men debating over what to do until they finally decided to investigate what was the matter. They approached Kana's cell slowly and peered inside. When the two men could not see well enough, one lit a small flame in his hand to illuminate Kana's cell—and Kana immediately recognized the man she had not recognized before. It was the Fire Lord.

Kana backed up against the wall farthest from the two Firebenders, an expression of pure fright on her face. Her plans had failed. She was not going to be able to escape. The Fire Lord would kill her personally, here and now.

But all that Kana thought would surely happen, did not. The three benders sat in stunned silence for quite a while. And then, the Prince said softly to his father, "That is the Waterbender who I brought from the Northern Tribe, father."

The Fire Lord cupped his chin in a hand as if thinking hard. At long last, he spoke, but this time, to Kana. "You were the one that made that noise, I assume?" Too afraid to speak, Kana just nodded her head to show that she had. "Well—I say, look at these bars, son! And you did that, I assume?" Kana nodded again. "And you want to escape then—and you have overheard my son and I—all the other prisoners are asleep—you will go with Iroh, away from this place, if not for the time being," concluded the Fire Lord.

And, without hesitation, the Fire Lord opened up the cell and motioned for Kana to come out. Kana stared, hazy-eyed. She had been working so hard to gain it—and now it had just come so freely? But the hopeful part of her mind overrode the logical part, and she stood and walked away from the back wall. _Freedom_, she thought happily.

Once Kana was in the hallway (which was now flooded up to her knees), she waited as the Fire Lord locked her cell and led the way through the dungeon back to the entrance from where he had come. As the three waded through the murky floodwaters, however, something crossed their path—the silhouette of a woman striding without haste through the waters, right towards them.

The Fire Lord's eyes widened and he hissed, "Maia!"

Kana gasped, knowing it was the Fire Lady—in the dungeons? But if the Fire Lord had said so, then it probably was true—for surely the Fire Lord could recognize his own wife.

As the Fire Lord and the Prince turned away from the silhouette, searching for somewhere to hide, Kana spotted a quick shadow dash through the area, past them and toward the Fire Lady—and Kana thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but then again, she swore she heard a small swish of water as the shadow passed.

"Waterbender!" whispered the Prince urgently. "This way!" He motioned for Kana to follow him, and she obeyed, sloshing quietly after him through the dungeon, trying not to be frantic, trying not to be frightened.

The Prince, who was following the Fire Lord, led Kana down the long corridor of the dungeon. At the very end, the narrow corridor met with another, wider, corridor, and the three of them took a right and swished through the passageway to wherever they were going. Kana was starting to wonder if the three of them would ever reach the end of the passageway, when she saw that the two Firebenders had stopped walking. She nearly crashed into the back of the Prince, but she was able to stop herself in time.

The Fire Lord turned around and gazed past Kana, as though he could see through walls and was seeing something that no one else even knew of. His gaze lingered there for a minute, and the three of them were perfectly soundless. Kana soon twisted around as well, her eyes scanning the walls and down the corridor to try and see what the Fire Lord saw. Once again, she saw that shadow—and now she was perfectly certain that shadow was the one she had seen earlier, and that it, whoever it was, was following them.

"There," she whispered, nudging towards the shadow, "I see it—that shadow. I saw it earlier too. It's been following us."

The Prince gritted his teeth. "Father—"

"Be quiet, Iroh," the Fire Lord chided. "Keep silent."

The trio watched as the shadow moved, bit by bit, down the flooded passageway until it was no more than ten feet away, looming darkly still. The Fire Lord pushed his arm out a bit and lit a fire in his hand, trying to light up the otherwise dark hallway. Kana saw that the shadow was a person (a male, judging by his tall, looming frame and broad shoulders), but she could not tell who he was; his face was too obscured by an overhanging hood of the dark cloak he wore.

"Speak, stranger," ordered the Fire Lord.

The shadow kept his hood down, and barely whispered, "My client perhaps might want you dead, but you are all as good as dead anyway. So go. I have no concern with you."

"What have you done?" the Prince shouted, shoving Kana out of his way and stepping aggressively towards the cloaked man.

The shadow chuckled. "If anything I have done you a favor. But you need not know. As I said, you are of no concern to me. Please, do escape; it will only make my job easier."

At this point, Kana was rubbing her sore arm and she noticed that the water was just below her waist now—they had to get out of here before they were completely flooded in. But as she looked around, she saw no way out—just an endlessly long corridor. The Prince was advancing closer to the cloaked man, but the man did not move.

"If you please, would you at least get out of the way? I have a job to finish still, you know."

"What have you done? And what are you going to do? And where—" But Iroh cut off nearly just as soon as he had begun. Kana wondered at the expressions on the Prince's face as he went from anger to bemusement to horrid shock. "You have—she was in the dungeons with us—you have—killed her! And you are going to—to kill my—"

"Shush!" hushed the cloaked man. "You see, if the Fire Lord finds out, I will be condemned to burn in eternal flame, according to my client." The cloaked man chuckled humorlessly. "What a fool he is. After I have finished his orders, I shall just add my own personal touch to the job and erase the witnesses."

Kana squeaked in fright.

The cloaked man faced Kana now. "Oh no, I shall not get rid of you or the Prince; you are worthless, both of you. And the Fire Lord—well, perhaps I should just get rid of him now, but why do not the two of you youngsters leave now so I can deal out my business with the Fire Lord, hmm?"

"Father!" exclaimed the Prince. The cloaked man snarled and lunged at the Prince. Kana screamed as the two of them went underwater, wrestling each other. Thrashing her head about frantically, she saw the two jet upwards from out of the water, taking the Fire Lord down with them as they tore at one another and making the fire in the Fire Lord's hand go out, rendering Kana blind to all that happened. She thought she saw the glint of a knife in the cloaked man's hand and she snarled, trying to aim a blast of water at the three. The blast hit the surface of the water and made a small splash, having no effect on the three underwater at all.

The water level was rising fast; it was now at Kana's chest. Searching through the water blindly, she tried to see; but there were no torches in this tunnel and it was perfectly dark. She shoved water to the side, holding it back as she groped around, straining her ears to hear any sound of movement.

A loud splash to her right caused her to twist around in a flash; Kana, still yet unable to see, brought her arms down and jerked them apart, causing the water to part to either side of the passageway. She heard now the three men struggling, gasping for breath; she also saw a quick flash of fire and was able to decipher where the cloaked man was. Kana tried to shoot a jet of water at the cloaked man, but it was too much strain to do that _and_ hold back the water; she felt completely helpless, and her energy was draining by the minute.

"I cannot see! Light a fire! Do something to make some light!" she bellowed, hoping that the Prince or the Fire Lord would take her up on her suggestion. Indeed, almost instantaneously, a flame lit on the floor of the tunnel, and Kana was able to see perfectly.

In a last rush of adrenaline, she brought her arms down, sending the water crashing back down to the floor of the tunnel. She directed the water towards where the cloaked man had been—though there was no light again, she knew almost by instinct where he was. She dove and swam through the now chest-high water and wrenched the cloaked man from the grasp of the two Firebenders, pushing the evil one down, down, holding him down with her hands. It would only be a minute now until he ran out of air—wait, wait, wait—she surfaced and took a quick breath, and the water was now at her neck—and held the adversary down still, resisting against his wild lashing of limbs, attempting to get back up for air—and soon the arms ceased moving and the struggle was over.

Leaving the cloaked man underwater, Kana surfaced once more only to realize that the surface of the water was a few inches from the ceiling of the tunnel, and the two men who had rescued her were unconscious, floating somewhere nearby. And now she truly felt alone, lost. Should she save the world's greatest enemy? She would do the world a great favor if the Fire Lord died. But then again, only another person would take over as Fire Lord—but—she did not know what to do. So she prayed.

She prayed to the Ocean Spirit and the Moon Spirit and all the Spirits that would listen—she prayed for guidance, she asked for reason to hope, she begged for mercy—and it was almost as if she had passed out and woken up again—but that was not possible, for she was holding her breath underwater, dragging the Fire Lord in one arm and the Prince in the other. She tried to surface, but she only swallowed water. Choking, she looked around, trying to find a way out—and she saw the light reflecting from above. Kana surfaced, and this time, she breathed in the blessed, blessed air.

The Spirits had decided to show mercy to her.

* * *

She had managed to wake the two Firebenders quickly; the Fire Lord had shown them the way to the harbor, running along the rocky beach that the tunnel had brought them to. The winds had howled angrily and the rains had poured down relentlessly and the waves had pounded without mercy upon the cold shore. But still, Kana and the other two had kept running. And it had not taken much time to find a spare boat to use to flee. The Fire Lord had told them to go as quickly as they could away from the Fire Nation. He recommended going south, for it would be expected that they should go east to the Earth Kingdom. The Prince and Kana had set out in a small rowboat right after the Fire Lord had told his son that there was hope for the Prince to return home now that Maia was dead. 

The last thing Kana had seen of the black shore was the Fire Lord, standing and watching them depart. The waves at first had threatened to toss over their boat as she and the Prince stared back at the fading Fire Nation, but Kana had enough sense to Waterbend the boat to the open sea where the current carried them seemingly south.

The rain had lessened to a drizzle long after the Fire Nation faded out of sight; and soon there was nothing but the spray of the sea. And now, in the east, Kana saw the long-awaited sun rising, scattering its rays of hope to the world. The sky was clear, and the gulls soared blissfully in the skies, and the sunrise was more beautiful and intense than Kana had ever seen it. And for the first time since her capture in the north, Kana felt really, truly _free_.

As she stared into the east, something inclined her to turn to the north, back to her old home—she instinctively reached for her engagement necklace that she had previously completely forgotten about, only to find that it was not there.

Kana started out of her content state, now rather frenzied. "My necklace! I—do you see a necklace in the bottom of the boat?" she asked hurriedly to the Prince who she had previously not really spoken to at all.

"What? A necklace? No, there is nothing here…" The Prince's face twisted into a sort of look of sympathy, but it did not help much.

"Oh—it was the only thing left of my home—" Kana frowned, but a memory appeared in her mind's eye almost immediately:

_She passed familiar landmarks of her childhood, of her life. Finally, she came to the edge of the walls, where she found a small alleyway through which she maneuvered the canoe into the open sea and sped forward through the gentle waves, traveling farther from her home than she ever had._

_She never looked back._

And she scowled at herself for wanting to save the necklace—that life was over. She would start a new life, in the south.

She would be free.


	8. Home

A/N: The big important author notes is at the end.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

* * *

The Engagement Necklace

* * *

The current took them on its own course, and neither of them dared to try and oppose the waves. Occasionally Iroh would row the boat listlessly or Kana would give them a slight push that jetted them rapidly across the water, but otherwise, they did nothing else. The two of them were in the hands of the Spirits, and Kana especially realized this. 

After quite a while, they began to grow hungry and weary; the two benders were able to catch a few gulls, and Iroh singed them thoroughly with Firebending after Kana picked off as many feather as she could and washed the meat with saltwater. It was not the greatest meal, but it was fine enough for Kana, who was used to this sort of thing.

Three days after the escape from Hi-Bing, they found land. Kana Waterbended the boat to shore, blasting the water behind them so that the small rowboat zoomed forward at an enormously fast pace. She kept this up for the whole afternoon, until she was weary and could bend no more, and then Iroh took over with the oars and paddled so that they reached the land by nightfall. Nestled in a nearby cove was an Earth Kingdom port city that Iroh had seen from the water.

They spent the night near the shore and then hid their boat amongst the cliffs much farther down the beach, near a jetty that stretched a long way into the ocean. (Iroh had wanted to burn it, but Kana had argued that they might need it again—and she had won that argument.) After traveling to the port city Iroh had seen,a kindly old woman bought a meal for the thin teens and gave them supplies to last about a week. Thanking her, Kana had graciously accepted the supplies while Iroh stared longingly at the tea pouches in the woman's basket.

Kana and Iroh returned to the cliffs and uncovered their rowboat. They wondered where they were going to go next until Kana finally told Iroh that she was escaping from the North and had decided to settle in the South. And so Iroh agreed that he would go with her, for he had nowhere else to go.

It took them about a month to get to the southernmost part of the Earth Kingdom. They landed on an island named after the old Avatar Kyoshi, but were soon chased out by the formidable female warriors because Iroh's golden eyes were a dead giveaway that he was an upper classman of the Fire Nation.

Almost a week after, the South Pole came in sight, and Kana's heart rejoiced; there was a large cluster of huts and tents that she was able to see, the Southern Water Tribe. The architecture was nothing like the North Pole, but that was alright; though the small town was much smaller than the Northern City, there still were strong walls of ice surrounding the settlement, and Kana knew within her that these people were just as strong as the North. And they probably valued women just as much as men, for she could see both women and men fishing in an inlet near the town. There was so much life there—but it was peaceful too, and simplistic, and just _happy_.

Kana had finally found her home.

* * *

She said goodbye at the shore, where the land met the sea and all was calm; and she said goodbye when the sun touched the water, a rare moment of harmony between rival elements. There was just one quick embrace and a whispered "Thank you" into his ear, and then he turned away from her and shoved the rowboat out into the shallows and hopped in. Watching as he retreated into the distance, she could not help but smile. She knew he would be welcomed home; for Maia was gone, and now nothing was holding him back from his home, just as nothing was holding her back from her home. And then she was certain that he would make it home safely. The Spirits would protect him and guide him on his way back. 

But then again, who was she to ponder the will of the Spirits? She was nothing but a young woman with nothing to her name. She had no husband, no family. Why had the Spirits blessed her so?

As the small boat disappeared into the distant sunset and night started its reign once more, Kana felt the urge to turn away from the sea and go back home—but her heart would not let her, and so she sat in the sand and watched as the small waves lapped up on the snowy shore.

It did not really come as a surprise when she found her engagement necklace lying in a little tide pool, waiting to welcome her home.

Fin.

* * *

A/N: Sheesh, that was a long epilogue. But I guess it wasn't really an epilogue; it was more of a final chapter, if you will. Okay, this will be a long author's note, so, to business. 

First Order of Business:

Yes. The engagement necklace actually does symbolize something—it symbolizes an idea and a concept rather than a tangible thing. However, I'm not going to tell you what it symbolizes. That would just ruin it for you all. Think of it for yourselves. If you think it symbolizes this idea or that idea or whatever, then I must say, you're absolutely right. For each person, it will symbolize something different. That's all I have to say on this matter.

Second Order of Business:

To clarify/to review everyone's futures:

Yogota doesn't remember why Kana left because if you recall, Paku smashed Yogota's head in with a big huge ice ball and Yogota suffered from a concussion as well as memory loss. Yogota does remember Kana, though. Yumi helped Yogota remember what Yogota could, but it wasn't much. Yumi died at a young age, about 23, so Yogota was left with nowhere to go but the Healer's Structure. She stayed there the rest of her life.

Paku became a Master Waterbender because he focused all his emotions into it. If you remember, he felt ashamed for attacking Yogota so violently and he therefore resolved to forget what happened. That is what drove him to put so much passion into his Waterbending, thus why he became a Master.

Iroh was welcomed back into the Fire Nation but never took the throne; Ozai did. Iroh became a General and generally traveled around the world for matters concerning the War rather than spending his days in the Fire Nation where people still thought of Iroh as a non-royal because of his alleged "treason" coupled with the fact that he was born out of wedlock.

Kontun was the younger brother of Kuzon (the friend from the Fire Nation who Aang briefly mentioned to Zuko during The Blue Spirit) (Kuzon had died before the war). Kontun was a generally laid back, soft-spoken Fire Lord who let his Generals and Admirals do most of the work concerning the war. He never married again after Maia's death and had no more children after Ozai.

Kanz's treason was never found out. Immediately after hearing about the death of Shadow, he resolved to never again commit treason and he became very loyal to the Fire Lord. His son was Zhao, who was born a long time after Ozai was. Kanz's son Zhao inherited Kanz's pride and Firebending skills; Ozai took Zhao under his wing because of Zhao's father's loyalty to the Nation.

Both Maia and Shadow's bodies were found in the dungeons and it was assumed they drowned. Kontun never really cared to find out who Shadow's client was.

As for Kana? She married the Southern Tribe Chieftain's son and had one son of her own, Kota, to whom she taught that women are equally as important as men. She gave her necklace to Kota to give to Kota's beloved when proposing, for she knew there was something special about it and that it was important that it was passed down.

And as for the Spirits? They knew of the future of the world, they understood fate. The engagement necklace didn't turn up in the South Pole just randomly, you know.

Third Order of Business:

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, and/or fav this story. You've really made my day more than once. Just know that this story is all for you, as well as for the world.

With Many Thanks,

K'sani


End file.
